Improvement in refrigerator-door packing



UNITED STATES PATENT Gurion,

HENRY WV. OASS, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO SAINT LOUIS REFRIG- ERATOR AND WOODEN GUTTER COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN REFRlGERATOR-DOOR PACKING.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 212.896, dated March 4, 1879; application filed June 7, 1878.

view, showing a portion of the jamb, and also of the door, and as the door is nearly closed. The same letters of reference denote the same parts.

My aim is to provide means for cffectually packing the joint of a refrigerator-door.

Referrin g to the drawings, A represents the front of a refrigerator; B, the door frame or jambs, and'C the door. The jamb, as well as the door, is double-rabbeted, as shown at b b' and o 0', respectively, and the jambs and door are bcveled in the usual manner. An elastic (1')referably rubber) packing, D, is inserted all around the jambs in the corner of theinncr rabbet b. The packing is preferably in the shape of a bead, d, having a ange, d', and in attaching itthe flange is turned toward the door, and is made to lie in a groove, b in the jambs of the inner rabbet, while the bead d occupies the corner of the rahhet. A similar packing, E, is attached to the door G i n the corner of the inner rabbet c, the tlange c' being toward the interior of the refrigerator, and lying n a groove, 0 n the edge 0 of the door, and the bead e being n the corner of the rabbet.

When the door is opened the heads d e stand up, as in Fig. 3; but when the door is closed, the corner 0 of the door encounters the bead d of the frame, and the corner b of thejambs encounters the bead e of the door, and as indicated in Fig. 4. When the door is fully closed the two heads are compressed, closing the joints, respectively, opposite the heads,

and inclosing between the heads an air spaee, F, which acts as a non-conductor of heat, and aids materially iu seahn g the joint around the door.

If desired, the packings D and E can be arranged upon the door-jambs and door, respectively, so as when the door is closed to come farther apart than n the above-described arrangement. For instance, the packing D can be attached at the point b and the packing E at the point 0 x The packings also can be used upon jambs and doors having a continuous bevel, and a further modification would be attaching both of the packin gs either to the jambs or to the door; lout I prefer the arrangement and construction shown.

The walls of a refrigerator are necessarily very' thick, and itis difficult to make the parts so that the door-edge (even if originally accurately titted) will continue to lit evenly and perfectly against the jamhs throughout the thickness of the parts, and hence it is better to arrange the packings as close to each other as is shown, as thereby there is more likelihood of both packings being compressed when the door is closed, even if the latter does not touch the jambs evenly all around. It is also desirable to donble-rabbet the j ambs and door, and to arrange the beads d eso as to be pressed by the corners 0 0 as described.

This improvement is also applicable to doors in other structures, and also to Windows and where one part is closed against another.

I a-m aware that a single strip of packing has heretofore been used upon the door or doorjamb of a refrigerator; but a single strip will not answer lny present purpose, which is to form an air-space in and around the joint be' tween the door and jamb.

I claim- 1. The combination of the jambs B, door C, and packings D and E, inclosing the air-space F, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the double rabbeted jambs B, double-rabbeted door 0., and the packings D and E, inclosin g the air-space F, substantially as described.

HENRY WV. OASS.

Witnesses:

OHAs. D. MooDY, CHARLES F. VVHORF. 

